Chapter 32: Xue Li Hong the Hybrid

When Xiao Mo heard the mission reminder, he and Xue Li Hong were discussing about the system.

The youth listed down everything they knew and did not know about the system on paper.

Unknown:

Developer unknown.

Method of implantation unknown.

Point of implantation unknown.

Main frame unknown.

How the system harms the recycler unknown.

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The system can clean and wipe any virus or toxins for the recycler.

The target that is to be recycled will be converted into some kind of energy by the system.

The system can observe the world and the trainee cannot control it.

The system looks strong. It is also programmed to be cold blooded and heartless, anything that is not related to the mission it will not answer.

Judging from the missions that had been announced by the system, the Earth has quite a number of virus and disease that will be detrimental to both humans and the environment. Just who was it that released them? What was their motive?

After Xiao Mo informed the youth the news of the new mission, the youth added another item to the in-the-know list: System can upgrade its level. Its new functions need to be thoroughly researched.

Finally, the youth came out with a conclusion, “This system is indeed helpful to some extent to you, but over-reliance on it is very detrimental.”

“Of course.” Xiao Mo also never thought of getting any advantages from the system, because he was sure, there was no such thing as a free meal in the world.

“Aside from the person that has been implanted with the system, did you realize, that the missions issued by the system was to mostly remove the things that were harmful to humans?” Xiao Mo asked.

They youth casually used the pen to draw a few lines, “Other than the missions that have been assigned to Liu Yu with the birds and the worms, which I am unsure what was so special with it, the Carbon Metallic Virus, the Mother of Gluttony, and the latest mission, the Gold Eating Mother Beetle, it could be seen that they were all very harmful to humankind.”

Xiao Mo’s face turned gloomy, “The Carbon Metallic Virus will attack the second time because I didn’t complete the mission of recycling the Liu Couple. If they had been recycled within the time limit, this incident wouldn’t have happened.”

“Possible.” Xue Li Hong was not sure; he felt that there was something suspicious. Judging from the way the system easily wiped out its recyclers, it did not seem to be that kind to humankind. Hence, if one said that the system’s existence was to help the people in this world, he did not believe it at all.

Xiao Mo soon became restless. He stood up and started pacing about in the room.

“The system ever once said that the Gluttonous virus was similar to that of the zombies from the movies. If I didn’t recycle Li Xiao Shuang in time, then that means, right now…”

“The streets would be full of zombies?” Xue Li Hong smiled.

Xiao Mo did not feel that it was very funny. When he thought of the fact that he had previously entertained the idea of letting Li Xiao Shuang off, his face turned pale.

If he had known that the system’s missions were of such importance and severity, he would definitely not have ignored the first mission, which had resulted in this current situation. However, it was meaningless to talk about it now. He sincerely hopes that he could make up as much as possible in the future, even if the process would result in him being killed.

“Do you think I should report it to the police? Reporting about the recycling system, the virus and all kinds of nonsense. A single person’s ability is limited, but with the help of the country or the world, perhaps, there would be a way to resolve the crisis. At least there won’t be a major disaster like last night.” Xiao Mo felt a deep sense of guilt, and this pushed him to be eager to make up for the mistakes he made. He did not have an ounce of care that his ability would be exposed or not.

“Warning to recycler, do not try it this way.” Before Xue Li Hong could speak, the system was quicker to response. It used an extremely cold and harsh tone, “Unless you want to die faster.”

“Why?” Xiao Mo asked.

The system remained silent.

Xiao Mo threatened it, “If you don’t tell me the reason, I will immediately surrender myself to the police!”

The system did not feel threatened at all. It coolly replied, “The system is transferable. If someone wants to obtain this system, it only needs to kill you and be beside you when you die.”

“Only because of this?” Xiao Mo had a hunch that the system wasn’t telling him everything. He was sure that it left out some vital information.

The system refused to speak and remained silent.

Xue Li Hong asked Xiao Mo the conversation between the two of them. After a moment of silence, he suddenly coldly laughed, “I understand now. If there is a recycler, then there must be someone to protect the virus and the monsters, perhaps a protector. However, the game has just started, and it has not peaked yet, so both players should stay hidden for now. Xiao Mo, you can’t reveal your status as a recycler yet, since we don’t know who the protector is.”

Xiao Mo asked the system, “Is it like that? There exists an opposition system as well as an organization.”

The system replied, “Breeder.”

“What?”

The system sealed his mouth again. This time, no matter what Xiao Mo asked, he refused to reveal a single word.

Xiao Mo told Xue Li Hong about the breeder.

Xue Li Hong touched his chin, “A Breeder system and a Breeder; the Earth has become a virus and monster breeding ground, huh.”

The system was in silent.

Xiao Mo felt conflicted. He preferred to work within the country, and felt that he was totally unsuitable to be a hero. Even if he had the destiny of a protagonist, he was largely lacking the courage and guts to be one.

Xue Li Hong saw the conflict and struggle in his eyes, and helped him to decide, “Don’t reveal it first. There must be more than one recycler. We can first scope the situation first before considering then. Even if you wanted to tell the country, selecting the right people to cooperate is also vital. You wouldn’t want to come across a breeder right at the start, right? If the person had imprisoned you for observation, research or even to torture you, not only could you not complete the mission, but you will also face the danger of being wiped out by the system. The more chaotic it gets, the crazier people will become.”

Xiao Mo had to admit, Xue Li Hong had a point. Telling the country seemed like an easy choice, but there were way too many uncertainties. Who knew what kind of changes they had to face? Thus, it was still best to choose a safer way until there was a suitable candidate or a better opportunity.

“We can post something on the internet. We just don’t need to explain the source of this information.” Xue Li Hong reminded Xiao Mo, “I have cleaned up the trail that the messages that you have put on the internet previously left. But the next time you wish to post anything on the web, make sure to clean up your trail, so that people can’t trace to your location, or you’d just expose yourself wide open.”

Xiao Mo smiled bitterly and nodded his head in acknowledgement, “Alright, I understand. I wonder what’s the Gold Eating Mother Beetle like. Even just listening to the name gives me chills. I shall head out to recycle it now.”

After speaking, Xiao Mo immediately stood up and was about to make his way out.

“No hurry. There’s no reason to rush. There are 24 of them Gold Eating Beetles, and you don’t even know how threatening they are. Under such unknown circumstances, it is better to prepare more thoroughly.”

“Then we have to hurry.” Since they could not corporate with the country and make use of the manpower available to the government, he could only rely on himself. There were 24 of them, and Xiao Mo did not want to waste his precious time at all. He had no confidence that he would be able to complete the mission, and the fear of punishment was still lingering in his heart. He still could recall clearly how painful the punishment was.

Xue Li Hong said, “You don’t need to feel guilty. I feel that, even if you have completed the mission of recycling the Liu couple, the virus would still be unavoidable.”

The youth knocked at the notebook, “The world is so big; I doubt Hua Xia is the only testing venue. The system is hiding too much information from us. The mission that’s released by it, is it really meant to stop something bad from happening?”

The youth stared hard at Xiao Mo. His eyes were like a laser, examining thoroughly from head to toe.

“Ah, what a waste, I don’t have the appropriate tools right now. Or else, I could do a detailed body check on you. If I’m not wrong, this system should be a programming, so there should be a server somewhere. Regardless of its material, whether silicon-based or other organic material, as long as I can locate it, I will be able to uninstall it. Perhaps, we should head to some of the large research centres. They should have some kind of high-precision full body scanners inside.” The youth showed high interest in the system.

“Is it ok to let the system listen to such information?” Because of the kid’s confident statement, Xiao Mo was obviously more relaxed.

The youth looked extremely casual but proud, “It can’t do anything to me.”

Xiao Mo waited for the system, but it had no response. It either disdained rebutting, or was really unable to do anything to the youth.

“He is just like a puzzle that has been carelessly mixed and matched. A mixed blood, that’s what he is.” The system suddenly voiced out.

“What mixed blood?” Xiao Mo unintentionally asked. He felt that the system wasn’t scolding him, but telling a fact.

“If he had remained the appearance of a child, he would have been able to live a longer life. However, he forced himself to look like a youth. His body would bound to have problems, and he might not be able to live a long life.”

Xiao Mo turned serious and asked, “What do you mean by that? What do you know? You did an examination of him through me?”

The system went silent for a while before continuing, “Only a part of his body. My database is currently incomplete, so I am unable to fully analyze his genetic data.”

“You guys are talking about me?” The youth glanced at Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo lifted up his hand to ask him to wait. He continued to question the system, “What happened to Xue Li Hong’s body? You said that he got mixed and matched? A mixed blood, what do you mean?”

“Strictly speaking, he has the look of a human, but should not technically be considered a human being. Hypothetically speaking, he should be a failed experimental product of a research laboratory, and should be destroyed.”

“Who? Who was it that did experiments on him? What was the objective of the experiment, and what kind of gene was mixed into his body? Will it be harmful to him?”

The system kept its quiet, and no matter how much Xiao Mo asked, it refused to speak.

Xiao Mo was furious. How he wished, he could just install an antivirus software that could kill the system and completely wipe it out.

Xiao Mo turned to look at Xue Li Hong.

He felt strongly affected by the information that the system gave him. Now that he looked at the youth, he felt that he looked severely unhealthy.

“You…”

“What did the system tell you?”

Xiao Mo was hesitant, but he still spilled everything to him. Perhaps the youth did not know that his condition was quite bad.

Xue Li Hong heard it and smiled, looking unconcerned at all.

“Don’t ask too much. Those that I can reveal, I will tell you. But the things that I cannot tell you, I will not tell you even if you asked. It is better not to know too much; it will do you no good at all.” Xue Li Hong managed to stop Xiao Mo from bombarding him with too much questions.

“Then, are you aware of the condition of your body?”

The youth laughed, “It’s my body; how can I not be aware.”

“Then, why do you still…”

“I don’t want to live as a kid. I’ve had enough of being a child.”

What did that mean? Xiao Mo felt completely puzzled and could not understand what he just meant. Did that mean that he was sick of living as a kid, or it did not matter, even if his body condition would get worse?

“Don’t worry, I won’t die for the time being. One point is that, living with a child’s body is too weak and inconvenient. It will limit the things that I want to do. Although this body will make my health worsen, it will be much more convenient.”

“I hope that I can help you in some ways.” Xiao Mo wished him sincerely.

The youth nodded his head and stood up, “After the completion of the mission this time, you can choose to learn how to hone your skills, if it can be chosen as a reward, that is. For now, you can tell me in detail, the process of my transformation from a kid to a youth that night.”

Xiao Mo was worried about the mission, be he did not want to reject the youth’s request, so he still sat back on the chair and recalled his memories of last night.

After listening to his narration, Xue Li Hong wrote a few lines on the notebook. “The black rain was one of the vital conditions, but I am unsure, do I need to be soaked in the black rain every time I wish to transform? This particular condition needs more testing, perhaps we might need it again.”

“Besides the black rain, you said you hugged me when I struggled?”

“Yes, you seemed to be in a lot of pain, so I had no choice but to do that.” Xiao Mo scratched his head.

“Then, did you wish for me to become better?”

“Of course!”

“For how long did you hug me?”

“I can’t remember. About a few minutes? I was too worried for you, so I didn’t take note of the time and duration.”

“Then, you felt that your energy was draining too quickly, so you hurriedly chose the reward as the usage method of the energy crystal.”

“Yes.”

“How about the piece of energy crystal? Is there any left?”

“All gone.”

“You said that you could feel that I was absorbing your energy?”

“Perhaps, I wasn’t sure if I was using my ability, or you…” Xiao Mo was entirely clueless. He still wasn’t clear about his ability, not to mention how to use it.

Xue Li Hong didn’t push hard. He only recorded everything into the notebook and put an item or two under the ‘explore’ and ‘trial’ categories.

“After you absorbed the energy crystal and hugged me, my body started transforming?”

“Yes, according to my memory, it should be so.”

“Did I open my eyes after I turned into a youth?” The youth felt that the man wasn’t very clear about that part.

Xiao Mo scratched his head again, “Yes, I thought you were sleeping, but you struggled a bit before you fell asleep again.”

“How did I struggle?”

“…”

“You have to tell me about it. It might be vital information.”

Xiao Mo was not sure how to exactly phrase them into words. He could only mumble, “That is… You got a human impulse.”

Xue Li Hong’s expression became a little sluggish.

Although his body had maintained as the appearance of a four- to five-year-old boy for some reason, mentally, he was still an adult male.

An adult psychology combined with an immature body, naturally, certain physiological requirements that should be logical had also been suppressed.

He felt that the main reason he had not become as perverted as the eunuchs in ancient time was because of his strong unyielding spirit and steel nerves. He had also spent a lot of time researching on his own genes.

“Old Xiao, did I … rape you?”

Xiao Mo’s mouth dropped wide open, “Of course not!”

Xiao Mo didn’t want the youth to misunderstand. He didn’t mumble it off anymore, “You rubbed yourself on me for a while. After you released, you became quiet once more.”

“That’s all?” He had finally recovered his adult form and was able to enjoy himself as an adult, yet his only reaction was to rub himself off? How could that be! The youth was very suspicious and skeptical.

“Of course! What else did you expect? If you want anything like that, go find yourself a girlfriend!” Xiao Mo banged his fist on the table.

Xue Li Hong’s expression did not change. He thought irresponsibly, we’re both men, even if we do it once, we’d lose nothing anyways. What’s the need for such fuss?

Such a pity though, I have no memories of his ‘first time’. I don’t even know if I had been satisfied.

I wonder what it’d feel like? The youth slowly licked his lips. He was like a wild beast that had just tasted something tempting, his eyes were filled with greed and lust.

Next time, he thought, as long as I retain this current appearance, there would be plenty of chances to try it out. As long as I can continue to retain this form, yes, perhaps finding a girlfriend is a good idea.

Xue Li Hong glanced at the man standing beside him, frowning deeply. Xue Li Hong had previously planned to leave this person once he got through this difficult period. But now, he had no choice but to rethink this plan. Perhaps this man is the person that would unlock his curse. He had to ensure that this man remains all right and unhurt.

“Do you have a map for this city?”

“Map?” The topic switch was too quick, and Xiao Mo was a bit lost.

“Your mission guide map should mark out the location of these Gold Eating Mother Beetles. Are they scattered all over or clustered together? Mark out their locations on the map of this city. We shall decide on the route according to the distance and difficulty.”

“You’re going with me?” Xiao Mo looked at the youth. His body looked so frail. He felt uncertain about this.

Xue Li Hong glanced at the piece of odd-looking watch that had appeared on his wrist at some time. “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon right now. By noon tomorrow, you have 20 hours. Judging from the difficulty of the last mission, I think you really need a helper.”

Xiao Mo touched his nose and laughed.

“Oh, and one more thing. I might look weak and one step from the grave, but I believe that I have much more power and am way more useful than you.”

Xiao Mo felt once again, that the grown-up version of the kid was way more difficult to get along.

“Of course, I am not helping you for free. You can engage me to be your helper for your missions, and I can do the missions with you, so that you won’t be wipe out by the system. But in exchange, besides providing for food, clothing, transportation and lodging, you will also have to help me to remove my curse of turning back into a child. This is the most important point, got it?”

Xiao Mo had no objections and agreed without a hint of hesitation, “Deal!”